Family pays tribute to popular Digger

The family of the soldier killed in Afghanistan says he was a patriotic Australian who loved his work with the Army.

Trooper David Pearce, 41, was killed during a roadside bomb attack on the light armoured vehicle he was driving in Afghanistan's Oruzgan province yesterday.

The Brisbane-based father of two is the first soldier to be killed by direct enemy action in the current Australian deployments to Afghanistan or Iraq.

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Trooper Pearce leaves behind a wife of 18 years and two daughters aged 11 and six, "who were the love and centre of his life", his family said in a statement.

A member of the Brisbane-based 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment, he joined the regular Army from the Army Reserve only two years ago after serving in the Solomon Islands, said the statement.

"With his life experience, outgoing personality and ability to relate to people of all ages, he was a popular and respected member of his unit," the statement said.

"He was a patriotic Australian and loved his work with the army, particularly the comradeship he developed with his mates."

Prime Minister John Howard today said Trooper Pearce died fighting for a just cause, and joined Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd in conveying the nation's sadness over his loss.

Mr Howard paid tribute to Trooper Pearce and said took full responsibility for Australian troops in Afghanistan.

"It's very sad what has happened to Trooper Pearce.

"I send my love and my prayers and my sympathy to his family.

"I don't seek to evade in any way the decision I took to send Australian forces to Afghanistan ... or indeed anywhere else.

"I am more than anyone else responsible for the men and women of our forces being overseas and I will never run away from that and I won't seek to shift the responsibility to other people.

"It's a reminder - and a very sad reminder - that when men and women go overseas in our name, wearing our uniform, they assume risks that the rest of us don't assume and that they are therefore entitled to special place in our affections and a special place in our regard and our esteem."

Mr Rudd commended the soldier's service and sacrifice.

He reiterated Labor's commitment to the war in Afghanistan, which has bipartisan political support.

"We will always be attentive and responsive to requests made by our friends and allies in Afghanistan in terms of future needs," Mr Rudd said.

The attack occurred six kilometres from the Australian base at Tarin Kowt as the light armoured vehicle, or ASLAV, was returning from an engineering reconnaissance task.

ADF chief Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said the unnamed injured soldier was expected to soon return to duty.

Trooper Pearce's body will be returned home under constant ADF escort, to prevent any repeat of the mix-up over Private Jake Kovco, whose body was confused with that of a Bosnian carpenter while being returned from Iraq.

"This is a tragic day for the Australian Defence Force and our thoughts and prayers are with the families of these two soldiers," Air Chief Marshal Houston told reporters in Canberra.

"Despite being deeply upset at the death of their mate, soldiers from the ADF are determined that they will not be diverted by the Taliban from their important reconstruction work."

Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said everyone should remember the sacrifices of Australian troops overseas.

"We're in Afghanistan because we are involved in a struggle for freedom not only of the Afghans themselves, but of the free world," he said.

Air Chief Marshal Houston said the Taliban was using increasingly sophisticated measures to attack coalition forces and there had been 25 improvised explosive device (IED) attacks over the last four months.

"When we first went in back in 2005 with the Special Operations Taskforce we didn't see too many improvised explosive devices in the province," he said.

"But certainly this year there has been a lot more."

Australia has almost 1,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

Last month, three Australians were wounded in a firefight with Taliban forces near Tarin Kowt.

In August, two Australian troops were injured in a shootout with enemy militants, and in June, an Australian survived a car bomb attack that killed a Dutch soldier and six civilians.

Trooper Pearce is only the second Australian to die in combat since the Vietnam War.

Special Air Service Regiment Sergeant Andrew Russell, a member of Australia's first deployment to Afghanistan, died in February 2002 when his vehicle hit a landmine.